Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe
Use one whole can of cranberry sauce to make this delicious, moist wintertime cake.
If you’re one of the Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holiday cooks of the family or friend group, you know how many ingredients can pile up in the pantry. For me, there’s always at least one can of cranberry sauce sitting in the cabinet that stares me down for much longer than it should (sometimes the whole year). This year, I decided to make that can of gelatinous cranberry juice into this cranberry bundt cake recipe.
My Cranberry Bundt Cake Testing Process
Testing Status: IN PROGRESS
Initial Recipe Development
I drew on my baking knowledge to formulate this cake recipe from a basic 1-2-3-4 cake formula. Luckily, it came out tasty on the very first try, so I thought it was worth it to go ahead and share.
I started by adjusting the dry ingredients and wet to make sure the moisture level and density was where I wanted it. I added an extra egg to the mix just to be sure this fruit-based cake kept its structure, but I also added a portion of cake flour to keep it from becoming too dense. The addition of baking soda is meant to counteract the mad acidity of cranberries. The Greek yogurt added a much-desired tanginess, as well as some extra hydration, since gelatinous cranberry, egg, and butter were originally going to be the only sources of water.
Next Steps
At the moment, I find this cake to be absolutely delicious with a well-structured but tender crumb. However, I wanted more cranberry. I actually had a whole bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer but worried about adding too many alongside the can of cranberry sauce. Turns out, I totally could have used the extra cranberries, so that’s where I’ll be heading with my next iteration of this recipe.
Cranberry Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan (fluted cake pan)
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or mix by hand with a bowl and whisk)
- Silicone spatula
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the pan 408 grams
- ½ cup cake flour 56 grams
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (I used Saigon) 1 gram
- ½ teaspoon ginger 1 gram
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ¾ teaspoon salt 4.5 grams
- 1 cup butter, room-temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan 226 grams
- 2 cups white granulated sugar 400 grams
- 5 large eggs 250 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 14 ounces cranberry sauce 1+3/4 cup or 1 store-bought can
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt 85 grams
- Powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C.
- Measure and prepare all ingredients first. Add the dry ingredients (flour, corn starch, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt) all into one bowl. Whisk for about 20 seconds until everything is well-distributed. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce and Greek yogurt. Set aside.
- Grease and flour the bundt pan, or spray it with flour-based baking spray. Set aside for later.
- Add the butter to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl. Add the sugar and continue to mix for an additional 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl halfway through and at the end.
- On medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Wait until one egg is completely combined into the mixture before adding the next. After the fifth egg is fully combined, stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Add the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture should look like it's on the verge of curdling.
- Starting with the dry mixture, alternate adding the flour and cranberry sauce to the mixer bowl — one at a time until mostly combined each time:
- a. 1/3 of the dry mixture.
- b. Then, ½ of the cranberry-yogurt mixture.
- c. Then, 1/3 of the dry mixture.
- d. Then, the rest of the cranberry-yogurt mixture.
- e. Lastly, the remaining dry mixture.
- Scrape the bowl again. Mix everything one last time on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared bundt pan. It will be very thick. Use the silicone spatula or a spoon to smooth the top and optionally bang the pan down on a towel on the countertop a few times to set the batter into the mold.
- Bake for 90 minutes. When inserted into the center, a toothpick, butter knife, chopstick, or other narrow utensil should come out with fully cooked crumbs attached.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Rest for 20 minutes. Flip the cake onto a plate or cake board. Allow it to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, use a mesh strainer to dust the top with powdered sugar and serve.
